JAMESTOWN — The Edgeley/Kulm-Montpelier Rebels took on the Griggs-Midkota Titans and used a big first half to get a 65-44 win in the District 5 Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Jamestown Civic Center.
“We lost to them earlier this season and we really came into this game looking to play hard and get some revenge on them,” Rebels forward Jacob Nitschke said. “We lost a close one earlier this year so we just needed to get back at them this game.
The Rebels (10-9) sprinted out to an early 19-7 lead on a Joe Kramlich and-one in the first quarter. The second quarter was all Rebels as they stretched the lead out to 39-15 with 35 seconds to go in the quarter, part of a 22-6 second quarter.
“We played a pretty solid first half really from the first quarter all the way to halftime,” Rebels head coach Kevin Strobel said. “That’s what’s gotten us some trouble sometimes, the slow start. So we were extremely happy with that and I thought the kids played top to bottom a pretty nice game.”
The Titans (8-11) played better in the third quarter as early in the frame, Carter Spitzer hit a three to cut the deficit to 39-18 with 6:12 to go in the third but the Rebels were able to respond a few minutes later on a Jacob Nitschke and-one to push his team’s lead out to 42-21 with 3:56 to go in the third. Late in the third, the teams traded baskets to send the game into the fourth with the Rebels up 50-28.
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Early in the fourth, the Titans’ Wyatt Spickler hit a layup to cut the deficit to 50-30 but the Rebels were able to put the game away on a Braeden Kinzler runner to push his team’s lead out to 56-37 with just under four minutes to go in the game. Neither team shot well from three in the second half as the Titans shot 3-for-10 for 30% and the Rebels shot 0-for-7.
Both teams struggled in foul trouble today as the Rebels had 18 fouls and the Titans had 14.
“We had some issues earlier, there were some calls that didn’t go the way you wanted to see them go,” Strobel said. “But, I think the guys did well, they played through it, we had a couple early on with Joe, we sat him for a little bit and he still played within himself and didn’t get a bad third or fourth foul.”
The Rebels are back in action at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27, when they face Carrington. The Titans return to the floor at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 27, when they face Oakes.
“We need other guys when we put in the bench guys or whoever, just to step up and be able to handle the pressure,” Titans head coach Kyle Mehus said. “I was a little shocked by that they played some good pressure and we didn’t handle it well. We have to work on some other things to get us more available and not be able to turn the ball over.”
G-M 44, E/K-M 65
G-M: 9 6 13 16–44
E/K-M: 17 22 11 15–65
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Points leaders:
G-M: Carter Spitzer 15, Wyatt Spickler 9, Kyle Johnson 8, Eli Larson 8, Benjamin Edland 3
E/K-M: Braeden Kinzler 24, Jacob Nitschke 18, Joe Kramlich 7
Assists leaders:
E/K-M: Dylan Carlson 5, Kramlich 2, Kinzler 2, Jaxon Buckeye 2, Nitschke 2, Zeke Barnick 1
Leading rebounders:
G-M: Larson 6, Latrell Rainey 5, Spickler 5, Johnson 5, Spitzer 3
E/K-M: Nitschke 11, Barnick 10, Strobel 3, Kramlich 3, Carlson 2, Kinzler 2, Buckeye 1
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2023 District 5 Boys Basketball Tournament:
Full Bracket Below:
First Round:
No. 1 Ellendale-bye
No. 4 LaMoure/Litchville-Marion 59 vs. No. 5 Barnes County North 32
No. 2 Carrington 66 vs. No. 7 Oakes 29
No. 3 Edgeley/Kulm-Montpelier 65 vs. No. 6 Griggs-Midkota 44
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